


Captive of Fate

by noahtauber



Category: Dark (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bullying, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:33:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25150945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noahtauber/pseuds/noahtauber
Summary: A glitch in Noah's fate.
Relationships: Noah | Hanno Tauber & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	Captive of Fate

**Author's Note:**

> The story is set in 1986, after Mikkel/Michael got adopted by Ines Kahnwald. Please excuse my mistakes as English is not my first language. This is also my first time publishing my own work, so I don't know if it's good.

Noah had always done his tasks carefully. He completed them based on their orders, based on their own fates. He always followed the book, like it was the foundation of his faith. Being off the track was something he never did.

That was the reason why he was full of doubt that day.

He should have done his next work, but he was there instead, in front of the school. He gripped hard the handle of his car door, thinking twice before deciding if he really wanted to do it, to do something so out of the line. But he wanted to know about how Mikkel was doing after months being in the wrong time. He hadn’t seen him again since he started a new life as Michael.

Something finally made him do it. An inexplainable feeling. He got out and stood behind the tree, just outside his car. He only wanted to see him from a far, nothing else.

Once the students swarmed out of the building after the bell rang, his eyes started to search Mikkel in the crowd. He lowered his hat as his eyes were fixed on the boy when he exited through the door. He looked calm, like he always was. There was no joy on his face, but there was no sadness, either. The scared boy he met months ago has adapted to his new life. He has accepted his own fate.

Just before he turned around to get back into the car, Noah’s eyes caught something that aroused his curiosity. A young girl. She walked out of the building just behind Mikkel. She had her gaze fixed to the floor; her face showed no expression. It was different from Mikkel’s, she was more emotionless than calm. She blankly stared at her shoes. He didn’t understand why she diverted his attention, but he let himself be distracted.

She was probably just a little bit older than Mikkel, around Regina's age, and she looked just like Regina, lonely. Quiet and timid. Noah was sure that he never saw the girl before. At least not in the book or at Adam’s collection of pictures on the wall.

This girl looked dull. If she was a color, she would be light grey. It was probably why she stood out in the crowd, because she was the only dull one, almost colorless, when everyone else looked vibrant, even Mikkel.

His eyes followed her little steps and stopped when the girl sat on the chair in front of the tree. She didn't seem to be aware of Noah's existence, even if he was only ten feet behind her. The girl did nothing beside staring blankly at the space in front of her, probably staring at other students, and Noah did nothing beside staring at her relaxed back. He kept studying her gestures for what he felt like a minute.

But her body language changed when she turned her gaze to the school entrance. The once relaxed girl now seemed a little anxious, her back tensed. Noah realized a group of students coming at her way. Katharina, Ulrich and Hannah.

Katharina stared at her intensely, the kind of stare she used whenever she found her prey. Just like how she looked at Regina when she was about to hurt her. She looked like she had bad intentions.

Noah could sense that the girl was afraid, but she straightened her back to appear strong.

Katharina stood in front of her. Her body was clearly bigger and stronger than the tiny girl. She knew that it made her feel intimidated and scared and he knew that she would do something awful to her.

He was close enough to hear what they talked about. Something about the girl bad-mouthing her behind her back. The girl didn't respond to any of her accusation. He couldn't see her expression, but he was sure she was trying to look fearless and it clearly annoyed Katharina.

The girl mumbled something that he couldn't hear and stood up, trying to get away from her, but Katharina didn't let her go. She gripped her wrist and called her names. The debate escalated when the girl talked back to her. She was scared, but it was clear that she wanted to defend herself.

Katharina didn't expect it. She didn’t expect the girl to stand up for herself and she didn’t like it. The next thing he knew was the girl fell to the chair right after she punched her face. Ulrich and Hannah were taken aback by her action. They tried to pull her away from the girl to no avail. She was raging. She felt disrespected.

The poor girl was no match to Katharina. She just closed her eyes and took every hit, wishing all of this would end soon.

Noah's mind was split into two: to help her or not to. When things like this happened, he always let it go the way it should be, because it was fate. Everything was going to happen the same way it was. Everything should happen the same way it always did, until it was time to change it. Before that, no one was allowed to interfere with fate.

But this time, he strangely felt different. Visiting the school was out of the plan. His plan, Adam’s plan. So was seeing all of this happening to the young girl. All his life, he only bothered to look at people who were connected to the knot, to the fate. Never with people who weren’t. They were no use; they didn’t exist in Noah’s devoted mind. This time, he felt uncertain about his own principle.

It was when Katharina started to throw kicks to her torso, he finally let himself casted away all his doubt and approached them. He had a sudden urge to protect the girl.

"Stop." was all he said. His tone was flat, but firm. It wasn't loud, but enough to be heard by Katharina.

The kicks stopped. The three of them looked to their backs only to find a dark figure standing right behind them. Noah was an intimidating man. It was his weapon. His dark attire only added to it. Katharina would clearly never be afraid of a priest, but it was obvious that she was afraid of Noah. He was no ordinary priest, after all.

"Come on, Katharina. Let's get out of here." Ulrich and Hannah pulled her away, but Katharina was still surprised by his sudden appearance. His existence itself was enough to make her terrified. 

Once they all ran away, Noah approached the girl. She wasn't aware of him, yet. She had her eyes closed.

The girl's hands were covering her face, in a defensive mode, but the wounds on her face were visible. Blood came out of the corner of her ripped lips. Bruises started to appear on her nose bridge and around her eye. Her cream-colored shirt was dirty with shoeprint.

Noah didn't want to surprise her, so he placed his hand on her shoulder gently. "Hey."

Even with the slightest touch, she was still surprised. Her body was trembling. She was scared, but she realized that the attack has stopped and the unfamiliar voice belonged to neither of them.

She removed her arms slowly. The moment she opened her eyes, their gazes met. Her eyes were wide with fear. Noah felt it once again, that strange feeling. Now that she was so close to him, he could see her face. For someone he had never known before, she looked so familiar. She felt so familiar.

She stared at the stranger's face in front of her for a few second before looking at his clerical collar. She was still in shock, but she maintained to calm herself.

"I'll take you to the hospital." Noah surprised himself with what he just said. He blurted it out without thinking. He had no idea why he did.

He stood straight up and walked back to his car. What he said to her was a statement, an order. He never asked people to do things, he ordered them. But the girl didn't move an inch. She was confused.

When Noah realized that the girl didn't follow him, he stopped without facing her. "Your face is bleeding." He made himself clear.

He thought the young girl wouldn't trust a stranger, a creepy one like him, but she did. He guessed the clerical collar made it easier. She stood up without saying anything and followed him silently to his car.

\---

The ride to the hospital was quiet. The girl might have let him take her there, but she still kept her distance. She leaned close to the door and avoided him by staring out the window. Noah didn't mind. He knew he was a stranger to her. So was her to him. A new face among old ones. But he couldn’t stop the curiosity inside his own head. He never cared and he never questioned anything, all he cared about was his tasks. But this time he did. He questioned about the timeline, he questioned if there was something wrong with it. He questioned about her sudden existence in his life.

“What’s your name?” Noah let himself did it again, spitting out words even when he didn’t want to.

The question woke her up from her thoughts. She turned her head to face him. To study him, to judge him, maybe. Noah didn’t know what was she thinking about. She was hard to read. He wasn’t used to people like her when most people were like an open book.

“Amelie.” She still had her eyes on him.

Noah could see her from the corner of his eyes. The pain on her face had gone. She was emotionless, again.

“Do you go to church?”

“No, but my father does.”

“What’s his name?”

“Luka. Luka Engel.”

Amelie Engel. Noah tried to find the name in his own mind, his own archive. He had read the book for more than a thousand times that he knew every single name mentioned in it, but he couldn’t find hers. He was sure he never heard her name. He was sure they never crossed path before. It was confusing him. Something about her felt strange yet so familiar.

“You don’t believe in God?”

“I do. I just don’t go to church.”

\---

Noah stole a glance at her for the first time after he turned the engine off at the hospital. She was looking at the grey sky, a normal weather for Winden.

They entered the building without exchanging any word. A nurse recognized him. Ines. She walked towards them while looking at the girl’s wounded face.

“Good afternoon, Father. What happened to her?”

“Attacked by her friends. Can you take care of her?”

“Yes. Please wait a second. I’ll call a doctor.”

Ines came back with a young doctor, who greeted them with a smile. She led them to a room.

Noah stopped Ines just before she got in. “She got kicked in her chest. Please check if there’s any injury around there.”  
Ines nodded then proceeded to close the door.

Noah waited in front of the room. The thoughts that bothered him came back again. He didn’t know anything about the girl and it bothered him, because he always knew. He knew everything. But this time, he didn’t.

Amelie sat on a bed. Ines smiled to her, hoping she would relax, but she didn’t look terrified at all. The only problem was she was too quiet. She didn’t whine, she didn’t look like she was in pain at all. Her stare was empty.

“Hello, what’s your name? I’m Nurse Ines. This is Doctor Dieter.”

The girl didn’t respond. Ines thought she must had been too deep in her mind that she couldn’t hear her.

“He will treat the wounds on your face first, okay?”

Without waiting for her answer, Dieter started checking her ripped lips.

“I think the wound needs a little stitch. Will you be okay with it?” The doctor asked the unmoving girl.

Ines and the doctor looked at each other. He nodded, asking her to prepare in silence.

When he was done, Ines cleaned her wounded lips. She was surprised that she didn’t flinch at all. The wound seemed painful. She barely moved; her expression never changed. It almost looked like she was numb.

Ines took her time knowing the young girl was relaxed enough. When she finished covering the wounds on her lips and nose, the girl still didn’t move. She just sat there like a statue. All she can her was her breathing.

Dieter glanced at her ruined shirt. It looked dirty and lost its top button. He gave Ines a cue to check it, in case the girl felt uncomfortable with him doing it.

“Father Noah told me that you also got hit on your chest. I will check it now, okay? Just to make sure if there are any injuries.”

She still didn’t respond. Ines started to think if the attack was so bad that it left her in trauma. She gently placed her fingers on her shirt to undo a button while carefully watching if there was any change in her expression. What Ines saw next wasn’t what she expected. There were wounds on her chest, but they were in the process of healing. Some have completely healed. The shape was circular. Both of them exchanged looks.

It was clearly not a wound from a kick. Ines took a closer look at them before the girl grabbed her wrist with her cold hand. She looked straight into her eyes and it looked terrifying to Ines.

“There’s nothing to see there. Are you finished?”

“We’ve finished treating the wounds on your face, but will you let me take a look- “

“They were old wounds from an accident, nothing more. If you are done, then I want to get out.”

Amelie stood up and stormed out of the room, leaving Ines who hadn’t recovered from the shock.

Noah was sitting across the door when Amelie opened it. Her steps were stopped when she saw Noah in front of her. She stared at him, again with no expression, before walking out of his sight. Shortly after, Ines came out of the room. She looked startled. Noah didn’t say anything, but he clearly wanted to know what happened.

“There was no bruise on her chest, but we haven’t checked if there was any other injury.” she paused. “But there was something else. From sometimes ago. It’s healing. I don’t know what caused it, but I think it looks similar to cigarette burns. It might be something else, but she didn’t let us take a look. Perhaps you can help her in any way. She said it  
was an accident. It could be, but still, I’m afraid if she was hurt by someone.”

\---

Noah didn’t expect Amelie to still be around, but she was, waiting beside his car. When they were both in the car, it was silent, again. Noah didn’t know what to do with all the information he just received. He didn’t know what to do in that moment, didn’t know where to drive this girl to. He didn’t even know what to do with her.

She didn’t say anything either, but he could sense that something changed. She wasn’t emotionless. She was upset and scared, but she hid it well. Perhaps it was because someone found out about the wound.

Noah didn’t know what happened to her, but for the first time, Noah felt like he wanted to care for someone. Not in the way he cared for Helge, but in the true sense of the word, like how he cared for Elisabeth and Charlotte. Maybe it was pity? He hadn’t felt those emotions in a long time. The feeling was overwhelming. He wasn’t sure if it was in a good or bad way.

He didn’t know what to call those emotions. He thought it would be impossible for him to feel them again after what he had done to the children, but this time he realized it didn't. The urge to protect this girl from the evil that had hurt her started to build.

“Have you had your lunch?” Noah wasn’t sure if it was a good approach to start talking to Amelie, but it was better to break the silence.

She shook his head. “No.”

“I’ll take you to a restaurant.” Again, he never asked. He ordered her to eat.

Again, she didn’t say anything.

\---

Noah couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Something was wrong. Something was wrong with her. She wasn’t supposed to be here. He wasn’t supposed to be here. 

Whatever was the reason, Noah knew he couldn’t resist it. He followed it faithfully in the end, even when something inside his mind doubt that this was fate. If this was it, then Adam was wrong. Adam was never wrong before, so why was he now? Why now?

Amelie played with her food. Once in a while, she took a bite. She knew Noah was looking at her unconsciously, because when she dared herself to stare back at him, there was no response. He was in his own mind.

“Father Noah.”

Being called by his name brought him back to his sense. He squeezed his coffee cup. A look of surprise crossed his face for a second.

“The nurse called you Father Noah.” Amelie answered the unuttered question. “Thank you for helping me.”

She didn’t smile, but her words felt warm. It made him wonder, when was the last time he helped someone?

They stared at each other again. This time, he did it consciously. He realized, there was a strange connection between them, but Noah knew it wasn’t bad. It was just odd. He tried to find a reason why he felt that way, but he couldn’t find any. This girl wasn’t his daughter nor was she part of this infinite cycle. Not even the next victim of the time machine.

“Finish your food, then I’ll take you home.”

Instead, she observed the heavy clouds outside. Drops of rain hit the pavement outside the restaurant. “Are you going back to the church?”

“Yes.”

She looked at him in the eye, again. There was slight uneasiness on her face. “Can I come with you? Just for a few hours until my dad leaves for his shift.”

The words Ines said suddenly repeated themselves in his mind.

He inhaled deeply. He finally found the answer he was searching for.

“You can.” Noah nodded slightly.

She finished her pancake in a rush.

\---

The church was hidden by tall, grim-looking trees. It looked creepy rather than calming. The darkness that was brought by the clouds made it even scarier. Amelie ran to its front gate to avoid the rain. Noah walked slowly. His clothing was soaked wet.

He pushed the heavy wooden door of the church and let Amelie through. The handle felt cold in his hand. The rain got heavier. The cold wind blew her dark hair. The big space smelled of wood and petrichor. Cold, damp air was trapped inside. It made Amelie shiver.

It was quite dim in the church. The lamp hadn’t been turned on. She observed the big room she was in, the tall ceilings, everything. She ran her fingers through the wooden benches. It was all unfamiliar to her. The church looked old.

Noah leaned on the tall door. His eyes followed her every movement.

“First time here?” His low voice echoed in the empty church.

Amelie shook her head. “Came here when I was younger, once. Didn’t like it here, so I went home before it all finished.”

He tilted his head to the side. “How about now?”

She shrugged. “Not sure, but it definitely feels better than the last time. Maybe it depends on who you go here with.”

He felt a surge of warmth in his chest. He didn’t let his face express it.

“You can rest here. I have work to do. I’ll be back when I’m done.”

He walked past her, then disappear behind the altar. The lamps were suddenly on.

Noah went into his room. He placed his hat on the bedside table. He stared at the cross on the wall emptily while his hands starting to unbutton his soaked shirt. His wet skin was exposed to the cold temperature. He thought about fate, again. About Elisabeth. About Charlotte. Nothing could hurt him like the memory of them. The only ones he loved in his life. The reason he endured the endless suffering.

A drop of tears fell on his cheek.

\---

Noah opened his eyes. He could hear that the rain had stopped. He didn’t know how long he had been asleep. The first thing that came to his mind was Amelie.

Had she gone home? Alone?

He rose from his bed and quickly put on a shirt. He got out of the room in a hurry, worrying about her.

A sigh of relief escaped from his lips. She was there, sleeping on the bench in the front row. Her backpack was her pillow. She looked uncomfortable. Noah went back to his room to take a spare pillow and a thick blanket. The air got colder in the evening.

He carefully changed her backpack with the pillow and covered her with his blanket.

Noah sat beside her on the bench, watching her silently. She looked peaceful for the first time. Today must had been exhausting for her.

Even though this wasn’t the first time Noah saw her face, he never paid any attention to its details. The circles under her eyes were dark. She looked pale. It made the bruises on her face stand out. His stare shifted to her dirty shirt. The wounds and scars on her chest were partly exposed because of the missing button. They looked awful.

Noah wondered what kind of misery she had faced in the past that turned her to the person she was today. She looked so numb, but now she also looked so frail. 

The longer he stared at her, the more he understood.

He could see himself in her. Strong, but somehow fragile. The difficulty to show any kind of emotion. The numbness. Everything.

They might had gone through different kinds of struggle, but the pain was identical. She was the reflection of him. It explained the emotions he felt for her. He found himself slowly growing fond of her.

Maybe it was what the strange feeling about. Maybe it was the answer to his questions. He wasn’t very sure, but it was more than enough for him. He didn’t care if the book was wrong. This was his fate. His own fate.

His mind wandered somewhere for a long time until the soft knock on the door distracted him.

A middle-aged man showed up from the door.

“Good evening, Father. Can I ask for your help?”

\---

Noah and the man spent an hour talking about his personal problems. He thanked him when he got the answer he needed. Just before he walked to the door, he took a glance at Amelie.

“Is she okay?”

Noah followed his eyes direction. “Yes. She just needed a shelter from the rain.”

The man nodded, convinced. “See you on Sunday, Father.”

The sound of the closing door woke her up. She could see that she wasn’t in her room, in her safe space. The sense of dread filled her. Her breath was heavy. She looked around the unfamiliar surrounding frantically until her eyes met Noah’s.

Sensing the fear in her eyes, he approached her, then took her hands in his palms to comfort her.

“I’m still here.”

Noah didn’t like it. He didn’t like seeing her in fear. Somehow it hurt him.

She held his hands tightly. His gesture felt warm and protecting. “I’m sorry.” She whispered.

Noah responded by rubbing the back of her hands. He waited until she got calm.

“Do you want to stay here for a while?”

The idea of not being in the same place with her father sounded amazing to her, but it was impossible. It would make things worse.

“I can’t. I have to go home.”

Noah understood. “I’ll take you home.”

\---

The ride to her home was quiet, but the wall between them was already gone. She no longer avoided him. It was a comfortable silence. Amelie sat comfortably in the passenger seat, wrapped in Noah’s coat. She stared at the clear night sky through the windshield. Noah felt a sense of peace knowing that she was no longer in distress.

It only took them around ten minutes. When they got there, she didn’t immediately get out of the car. She bit her lower lip, regretted having declined his offer now that she realized the freedom she tasted only lasted for a short period.

“You can come to the church whenever you need help. I’ll be there.”

Amelie looked into his eyes with her sad eyes, searching for lies. She didn’t find any.

For the first time in a while, Noah didn’t lie. For the first time, he wanted to do something for someone other than Adam. Other than Elisabeth and Charlotte. At that moment, he realized that he had a spot in his heart reserved for this girl he had no relation with.

Noah didn’t question her existence anymore. He understood she was a glitch in his fate and he accepted it.

“I…” He took a deep breath, getting himself ready to say the next word. “promise.”

\---

Noah had always done his tasks carefully. He completed them based on their orders, based on their own fates. He always followed the book, like it was the foundation of his faith. Being off the track was something he never did, but now he couldn’t imagine what would happen to him if he never broke out of it that day. 

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wondered about the way Noah sees the world. He was the evil character, cruel and murderous, on season 1 and 2, but he was just another manipulated person in the end. I really wanted to see him in another light. I also wondered what happened when the characters weren't doing something related to the cycle, so I made this. I hope you enjoyed it <3


End file.
